"Once the curtain is raised, the actor ceases to belong to himself. He belongs to his character, to his author, to his public. He must do the impossible to identify himself with the first, not to betray the second, and not to disappoint the third. And to this end the actor must forget his personality and throw aside his joys and sorrows. He must present the public with the reality of a being who for him is only a fiction. With his own eyes, he must shed the tears of the other. With his own voice, he must groan the anguish of the other. His own heart beats as if it would burst, for it is the other's heart that beats in his heart. And when he retires from a tragic or dramatic scene, if he has properly rendered his character, he must be panting and exhausted."
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Sources
The Art of the Theatre (1925), p. 171
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt
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Sarah Bernhardt
1844 – 1923
Sarah Bernhardt (23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923), born Marie Henriette Bernardt, was a French stage actress. Bernhardt is regarded as one the finest actresses of the 19th century, and was the first actor to become a worldwide celebrity. Also known as "The Divine Sarah".
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